You Probably Didn’t Know This Arizona Airport Was Named The BEST In The Country

Did you know that Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport is one of the busiest in the nation? That's right! Last year it served more than 44 million passengers and was ranked the 11th busiest airport in the country and the 29th busiest in the world according to the Airports Council International. It also recently received another top ranking from a website called The Points Guy, which confirms our thoughts on which airport is the best in the country.

Yup, Phoenix's own Sky Harbor Airport was named the best among other large airports like New York's La Guardia.

The ranking system included factors like timeliness, accessibility, and the amenities provided.

The blog noted that it ranked the best in categories like possessing some of the fewest flight delays and cancellations.

Security wait times are also pretty low; most days it does not exceed 20 minutes despite being one of the busiest airports in the nation.

Sky Harbor also recently began posting TSA wait times online, which you can see on ifly.com or the Sky Harbor Twitter account.

Accessibility included driving times and the accessibility of public transportation to and from the airport.

Phoenix had the shortest drive to downtown and the inclusion of buses, light rail, and the new PHX Sky Train definitely helped. Now if we can only get those services to run more frequently.

As for amenities, Sky Harbor had some of the best! This included restaurants, wi-fi, lounges, and parking fees.

Sky Harbor offers free wi-fi and a large number of restaurants. If there's any improvement needed here, it's adding more lounges.

You can also find some Arizona favorites located in the terminals such Cartel Coffee Lab.

The trendy coffee joint serves deliciously strong, single origin coffee. You can find their other locations in Central Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Tucson.

Or more established restaurants like Barrio Cafe.

Other local favorites you can find in the airport terminals: Four Peaks Brewery, Matt's Big Breakfast, Olive and Ivy, and La Grande Orange.

Now let's look at a few of the perks of traveling through Sky Harbor. There's a museum inside the airport, something interesting for passengers with a long layover or bored relatives waiting to pick up loved ones.

The Phoenix Airport Museum shows off Arizona's historical, cultural, and artistic past and present.

In other areas of the airport, you can find little bits of public art and even historic figures.

For example, this old bi-plane is the real thing! Suspended from the ceiling in Terminal 3, the plane is visible to everyone who comes and goes from the terminal.

Plus, our carpet is worth talking about.

The most well-known and most photographed airport carpeting is probably that in Portland, Oregon but I think Phoenix has some unique carpeting as well. Evidently, the airplane and circle pattern was a custom design, looking something like planes flying across a radar screen.

That sure puts one in the mood for travel! Not sure you feel up to traveling the country (or the world) anytime soon? Not to worry because we have some pretty fun things to do right here in Arizona. The best part is you don't need to spend a dime! Check out our suggestions in 11 Legitimately Fun Things You Can Do In Arizona Without Spending A Dime.